One Year
by melanie39
Summary: It's one year since Marissa died. A series of short scenes focussing on Ryan and other members of the Cohen/Atwood/Nichol/Cooper family and friends. Scene 3 - Julie...
1. Chapter 1

**One Year**

"What's up with Ryan?"

"Ryan?" Seth puts down the play station controller and gives Taylor his full attention. Anything less and she's likely to have a rage blackout to

match anything Summer can throw at him.

"Yes, Ryan," Taylor continues in a clipped tone.." Blonde, good looking, doesn't talk a whole lot, remember?"

"Yes, I do believe I know him." Seth folds his arms and gets comfy on the couch, ready for the long haul he knows a conversation with Taylor will be.

Taylor slaps Seth with the back of her hand.

"Ouch. I'll tell Summer on you." He rubs at his collar bone ostentatiously.

"Summer will assume you deserved it," Taylor responds smartly. "Now, what's the matter with Ryan? You know the talking that he doesn't do

much? Well, he's kind of given that up."

"Talking in general or just talking to you?"

"Well, that's what I'm here to find out. Is he talking to you?"

"What should he be talking about? Anything in particular? The state of the country? The problems with Health and Safety at El Pavo's? The

delays in the release of the PS-3?"

"You know I don't mean that sort of talking."

Seth knows she doesn't mean that kind of talking.

"He has been a little quieter than usual, yes, but under the circumstances I think he's allowed to be, don't you?"

"Under the circumstances?"

Seth is puzzled by Taylor's look of confusion.

"Yeah, I mean, it _is_ May, after all."

This statement and the shrug that follows it is no help to Taylor. Seth can't quite believe how clueless Taylor is being. Clearly being in love has

rotted her brain. This is Taylor Townsend who dots all the "i"s and crosses all the "t"s, even when there aren't any. Surely she hasn't forgotten

the significance of this month over all others?

"Taylor, just think. What was it you were doing this time last year?"

It takes a while for the penny to drop, but drop it does, with Taylor's eyes widening to saucers and her mouth rivaling the hole in a Lifesaver.

"I am a terrible girlfriend." Her hands drop to her sides and she stops looking at Seth. "How could I have forgotten? How could I have been so

insensitive? My God, he must hate me."

"He doesn't hate you."

"He must do. I've been bullying him and pestering him to explain why he's so quiet and all along he must have been thinking what a bitch I am

not to remember."

"He wouldn't think that."

"How do you know? Has he said something to you? Has he told you how I've forgotten that this is the anniversary of his ex girlfriend's death?

How I've threatened to dump him if he doesn't pull himself together and start talking to me?"

"You threatened to dump him?" Seth's eyebrows arch in shock.

"I was pre menstrual. I can't control myself when I'm pre menstrual."

Seth wonders when it is that Taylor is not pre menstrual, and that really, anyway, this is too much information.

"What did he say when you said you'd dump him?" Seth is intrigued.

"He looked kind of mournful and still didn't say anything."

**tbc**


	2. Chapter 2

**365 days**

Ryan rests his head against the window pane, his eyes staring out, unseeing, and thinks it's particularly cruel that this song is playing on the

radio in Kirsten's car on this day. She has no idea, of course, and she keeps her eyes fixed firmly on the road because, unlike this day last year,

rain is pouring in steady streams, creating ugly brown rivets that cascade down the rocky edges of the freeway and across the asphalt. He

wants to lean forward, flip the switch to one of Seth's emo tracks, or the weather report, or anything that doesn't mention dancing and living

forever. He won't because it's bound to prompt questions from Kirsten and she doesn't need any distractions in this weather and Ryan is real

careful about driving without distractions these days.

"I'm glad you're coming with me," she says and he's glad too, so he nods and mumbles that this is something he wants to do and he's glad she

asked him.

Kirsten returns her focus to the road and the song plays on and Ryan goes back to staring out the window.

**tbc**


	3. Chapter 3

**Morning**

If there's one person she needs to see today it's him. It's crazy really when you consider their history, that it is him she feels she needs to be

with, and when she opens the door and sees him standing there with Kirsten, bagels in hand, she smiles and realizes that she's known all

along that he'll feel the same way.

They spend some time together alone in the kitchen, the room emptying by silent but mutual consent. Kirsten, Taylor and Kaitlin each have

things they must urgently deal with.

He hovers by the refrigerator, sipping his coffee, and she tries to pretend that his presence here at 8.30 on a weekday morning is normal. She

hands him a schmeared bagel, like Marissa taught her to make, like Sandy taught Marissa to make, and he accepts it wordlessly.

She sees his eyes captured by the new picture of her elder daughter that Kaitlin has had printed for her and when he speaks she is

momentarily robbed of her breath.

"Is it hard for you? Me dating Taylor, I mean, and her living here with you?"

She doesn't expect him to actually talk to her. Not really. Because this IS Ryan after all.

She doesn't answer because she needs to think about it, how to respond, how to explain what she feels each day she sees Taylor and him

together.

Should she tell him she's happy he's dating Taylor because she cannot bear to see him again the way he was?

Or should she tell him she's torn up inside that the nineteen year old girl living under her roof is not her own and took the only boy her

daughter ever got the chance to love?

He's waiting for an answer and his eyes are troubled so she smiles and reaches for his hand. She squeezes it and reassures him because a

half truth is better than no truth at all.

**tbc**


End file.
